


Hiding in Plain Sight

by TehrBear



Series: School Spirit [3]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Blow Jobs, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Unhappy Ending, slightly ooc mickey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-03-14 22:46:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3428330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TehrBear/pseuds/TehrBear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ian and Mickey accidentally ended up as roommates freshman year of college because Mickey was mistaken for an alpha on the resident application form.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This has not been beta'd so all mistakes are my own. If you find any grammar/spelling mistakes please do tell me.
> 
> I do not own the characters but I own all other elements of the story which is completely fictional and not to be taken seriously at all.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *This is a reposted chapter because I accidentally deleted it :)*

Mickey was confused. The sign specifically said that the dorm he was standing in front of was for alphas and betas. He’d even double checked at the front office to make sure there was no mistake, but the lady at the desk hadn’t even given him a glance before telling him that it was the right place.

But Mickey knew it wasn’t. He didn’t _mind_ living with alphas and betas—he’d grown up with so many around him—but there was a reason that they had separate dorms.

He shook his head to clear it, and didn’t let the stories about unmated omegas living with alphas intimidate him. He would have to wait until classes officially started to get a proper dorm assignment and until then, he had no choice but to deal with the situation he was in. He told himself that he wouldn’t let anyone figure out that he didn’t belong, and soon he’d be out.

His roommate wasn’t in when he opened the door, but there was a pile of stuff that had been dumped on the bed near the window. Mickey frowned. _He_ wanted the bed next to the window. But then he reminded himself that he wasn’t there for long. He imagined that his roommate probably hadn’t stayed for very long after dropping off the luggage, and yet the room reeked of alpha.

 _Great_ , he thought. _Couldn’t even get a beta._

Still, it was a nice scent. Comforting. The best way he could describe it was Christmas, maybe with a hint of something else that he recognized slightly, but couldn’t really place in that moment. He was glad he was on suppressants. It toned his own scent down and with all this alpha scent around him, it was likely that no one would notice him till he was gone. Hopefully.

He unpacked the bare minimum, because he wasn’t staying. He didn’t _want_ to stay. After eighteen years of always being around alphas and betas, he’d actually been looking forward to being around more omegas.

The door opened loudly and two guys walked in, laughing and pushing each other around. It reminded him of his brother’s being rowdy with each other. Him being an omega had never actually stopped his brother’s from being rowdy with him too. It didn’t stop anyone, really, where he had grown up. So he wasn’t all that worried about having to stay in the wrong dorm for a few days. He could protect himself if need be.

One was solidly built, with golden hair and the other was lean, but with well-defined muscles, broad shoulders and red hair. They both had similar scents that burst into the room and invaded his senses, so he could only assume they were related, and couldn’t tell which one would be his roommate.

It was the redhead that spoke to him.

“Hey, you must be my roommate. I’m Ian.” He held out a hand to Mickey, who almost forgot that he if didn’t want anyone to know he was an omega, he couldn’t just avert his eyes from the alphas like he had always been taught to do.

So he rose from in front of his bag, where he’d been crouching, and firmly took Ian’s hand. “Mickey.”

“This is my brother Lip. He doesn’t go here but he came to drop me off. Freshman year and all that,” Ian said.

“I know what you mean. But if I asked my brothers to come with to help me out with my bags and they’d probably tell me to go fuck myself.”

Ian and Lip laughed.

“He had to carry his shit on his own,” Lip said. He ruffled Ian’s hair. He didn’t know how it was between alphas, but Mickey always felt degraded if someone did that to him. “I only came to embarrass him and ruin his tough guy reputation before it even started.”

“My tough guy rep is in-fucking-destructible”" Ian said. Pouting in a way that didn’t match his statement. Mickey was left staring.

“Yeah you wish.” Lips phone beeped and he pulled it out of his pocket. “I gotta go man, call me if you need anything. I’ll probably stay in the city for a couple of days before heading out.”

Ian nodded at his brother as he left, and then turned to Mickey.

“Course fair just started. I still have to pick out my electives and extra curriculars so I’m gonna go and see what they’re offering. You coming?”

“Sure,” Mickey said. He didn’t really want to but he found it difficult to say no when making eye contact with such wonderful smelling alpha. _Way to uphold your own fucking tough guy rep_ , he scolded himself.

Adopting a scowl on his face, that he hoped would eliminate too many people approaching him, he followed Ian out of the dorm.

The first thing he noticed when they got down to the fair was how strong the scent of omega was. He wasn’t used to it, since the few omegas he knew were always on suppressants, unless their alphas wanted them to breed, and then they were back on the pills, or shots or however they took the medication, again. But it was clear that a lot of omegas here didn’t take the birth control. That also meant that they for sure went through their full heats and most likely had partners for them too.

When Mickey had gotten his heat for the first time, he had gone to a clinic that catered to omegas without telling anyone and they had found him an alpha volunteer that had helped him through. It had been pretty okay, but they weren’t mated, so it wasn’t as good as it could have been. Their scents hadn’t matched up and created an intoxicating environment like he heard should happen. Still, he returned the next few times he got his heat until his father had found out and put a stop to it, telling him that defiled omegas never found lifelong mates, and only get passed around like whores until they were too worn out to be any good to anyone.

The realization that not everyone had those views hit him hard. He was glad to have come to college, instead of listening to his father and letting himself be sold to the highest bidder. He felt... free. Unburdened.

“You okay?” Ian asked him, giving him a strange look. He hadn’t realized that he was staring intently at a group of omegas not too far away. They didn’t seem to mind, probably sensing that he was an omega too (only omegas can automatically recognize a person by their scent and the omegas probably realized that since he didn’t have a distinct scent, he was on suppressants. Alphas and betas don’t have this automatic ability unless they have known a person for a very long time). Ian, however, who assumed that Mickey was an alpha like him, or at least a beta, was amazed that Mickey could be as rude as to stare like that. “You do know that you can’t just look at them like some meathead who wants to jump their bones or something.”

“Jump their bones? What the fuck, man? That’s weird.”

“I’m just saying dude, it’s rude.”

Mickey rolled his eyes. “First time I’ve seen an alpha come to an omegas defense,” he muttered to himself. Thankfully Ian didn’t hear him. “Don’t worry, I don’t want to fuck them.”

The omegas looked like they were about to call him over so he turned away from them completely.

“But if you’re so omega right-sy and all, why don’t you join,” Mickey pointed to a sign behind Ian, “the OAA.”

“The wha—?” Ian spun around to see what Mickey was pointing at. He read the sign out loud. “The Omega Alpha Alliance. For any omega and any alpha or beta ally that is interested in making a change.”

“Omegas wouldn’t even be allowed in this college if it wasn’t for the OAA. They’ve been super helpful all over the country and they’re even going international now.”

“How do you even know all of this?” Ian asked. Mickey shrugged. “Sounds cool. You gonna join?”

“Yeah maybe.” Mickey shrugged again.

“Come on, let’s do it. It could be like a... uh, roommate bonding thing or some shit. And we’ll be making a difference.”

Mickey laughed. “Hey I’m all for making a difference but do we have to call it roommate bonding? I don’t think you need your brother needed to come here to embarrass you, I think you’re doing a pretty good job of that yourself.”

In retrospect, Mickey realized that might have been a little mean but Ian only blushed lightly. Which was so un-alpha like that Mickey blushed too just at the thought of turning Ian pink with embarrassment. He didn’t know what was happening to him but he wanted it to stop.

He nudged Ian with his elbow. “Let’s go sign up.”

Ian grinned and they put their names down on a clipboard. A cheerful beta told them when and where the first meeting was and they were soon checking out the rest of the fair.

Mickey saw a bunch of stalls for the sports teams but there were no omegas welcome in them. He watched on as Ian signed up to try out for at least three teams and grumbled to himself.

“Not the sporty type? I get the feeling that you’d be a wall in midfield. You should try out for the soccer team.”

Mickey scowled some more. Ian didn’t know how right he was. Mickey was amazing in center mid, and he was flexible enough to play as a right and left winger too. But, even if he played in a mixed team in middle school and high school, he wasn’t _allowed_ here.

So he just shook his head. “I’m an art major. I’m allergic to sports.”

Ian laughed, not catching onto the almost sinister tone that Mickey had taken up.

“Makes sense, I guess. What kind of art?” Mickey was about to answer but Ian interrupted him. “Never mind actually, you should just show me later. Hey, think you could draw or paint or whatever a really detailed dick for me? How hilarious would it be if I sent that to my brother? He would absolutely flip! It doesn’t have to be any particular dick, but it should be a nice size maybe…”

Ian was still talking but Mickey had stopped listening. All he could think about was how Ian wanted to _see_ his work and Ian wanted him to make something for him. Nobody had ever even asked him about his art. He wasn’t sure that anyone in his family even knew about his art. Except for his father, who had ripped up his drawing pads and canvases plenty of times. And here was this guy that he had known for maybe an hour, and was already asking to see his work. He tried to shake himself out of the weird trance that he was in. “Dude, I’m not drawing or painting or _anything-ing_ a dick for you.”

“I’ll pay you.”

Mickey shook his head, laughing. “No way. Not happening. Send him something off the internet.”

Ian pouted like he had earlier in the room and Mickey turned his head away so he wouldn’t have to look at that face.

_What the fuck is wrong with me?_

He felt hot. Like the few times he was in heat kind of hot, and he was really glad that he took suppressants. He could smell that unidentifiable scent mixed in with Ian’s from earlier again. Much stronger this time.

“Hey do you think someone out here is close to like…” Ian trailed off, as if not knowing what he was trying to say.

“Close to what?”

“You know…” Mickey didn’t know. Ian lowered his voice. “Close to their heat.”

Mickey laughed loudly. “You’re saying it like it’s a fucking curse word and you’re in the first fucking grade or something.”

“Hey piss off. I don’t wanna offend someone.”

“Chill, man. I don’t think anyone is. Why do you even ask?”

“I don’t know. I feel weird.”

“Like horny weird?”

“Yes like horny weird, that’s why I fucking asked.”

Okay so Mickey wasn’t the only one who was feeling horny weird.

“I don’t feel anything so maybe it was all that talk about dicks.”

Ian grinned and shoved Mickey hard. Mickey shoved him back and they ended up chasing each other all the way back to their dorm. A bunch of their soon to be professors, and older students, gave them dirty looks, but continued on their way. After all, alphas will be alphas. It’s the omegas that have to be kept in line.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The omega services director is an alpha?????  
> How does that make any sense at all???

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for the amazing response on the first chapter!!!
> 
> More than 80 kudos omfg I love you all so much!

The scent hadn’t really gone away in the next few days. Sometimes it’d be barely noticeable, and sometimes, after Mickey and Ian had been interacting for some time, the scent would get noticeably strong. Mickey knew that Ian was confused by it but, he didn’t say a word. At one point he had been very tempted to help Ian sort out a particularly obvious arousal, as they had spent the entire day together trying to make their room nice and homely. He suppressed the urge. It wasn’t easy.

Making their room comfortable was nice though. Mickey felt better now that everything had a warm feeling to it instead of the cold, bare feeling it had before.

Not that it mattered because he was in the omega services office now, sitting in front of the woman who took care of omega interests at the college, waiting to get assigned to the right dorm.

“I’m very sorry Mr. Milkovich, but the omega dorm is completely full. I don’t know how this mistake could have been made.”

“So I’m expected to live surrounded by the people who are the biggest threat to my life for the rest of the year?”

“Just the semester. Omegas…” She looked like she was trying to choose the right words. “Well, omegas tend to have a high dropout rate. Their families will pull them out for arranged marriages or they won't be able to handle it. Not to mention you people get knocked up so easily—”

“ _Us people?!_ ”

The alpha director looked at him strangely. Mickey could see that she genuinely couldn't understand how she offended him. “Yes... you people. You omegas get knocked up very easily. So I’m sure there will be openings in the omega dorm next semester.”

Mickey scoffed. “It takes two to tango.”

“Excuse me?”

“Omegas don't breed on their own. There needs to be an alpha or a beta involved to make it happen. And ninety percent of the cases of knocked up, unmated omegas happen because of force breeding and that’s not _our_ fault. It’s yours.”

“I think you’re forgetting your place,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “You might have gotten into college but you’re still nothing more than a breeder Mr. Milkovich. No matter what kind of degree you get, in the end, you’ll still end up staying at home popping out kid after kid until your alpha thinks there are enough.”

Mickey stood abruptly, his jaw dropped at the audacity of the woman in front of him. His chair scraped the hardwood floor as it was forced backward. “What the fuck were they thinking putting a fucking ignorant, intolerant alpha in _omega_ services? Don’t think I won’t fucking report the things you said to me. You don’t get to fucking treat people like that. No matter what their fucking gender is.”

He walked out, not wanting to listen to anymore bullshit. Mickey knew that he couldn't actually report her. It was an alphas word against an omegas. He was still fuming when he reached his dorm room and eyed his things, still packed, in a corner.

 _If I’m gonna be here for a semester_ , he thought, _I might as well unpack._

He was mostly done when Ian came in.

“How was first day of classes?”

“Pretty decent.”

It wouldn’t be so bad, right? He knew where he could get artificial scents that omegas sometimes used for protection, so that they smelled like alphas and wouldn’t be tormented wherever they were. And Ian was really nice. He wouldn’t take advantage of Mickey if he was to find out that Mickey was an unmated, runaway omega. Maybe he could even tell Ian the truth, and Ian could keep other alphas away from him.

No, he couldn’t do that.

He had only known Ian for a couple of days. Just because the guy made him feel funny in the chest and the pants, didn’t mean he was trustworthy.

He still had a hard time ignoring what he’d been taught at school. Some of his teachers had been very non progressive and taught him some very traditional omega things as far back as kindergarten. And even though he knew times were different—and technically he was pretending to be an alpha—he also knew that omegas were still murdered for standing up for themselves. Despite believing Ian wasn’t the type, considering he’d joined OAA, he couldn’t take the risk.

“You seem down.”

Mickey looked up at Ian. “Just tired. First OAA meeting tonight. You’re not backing out are you?”

“Of course not,” Ian scoffed, as if Mickey had put his pride in front of a firing squad. “You better not either.”

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

Before they left to go find the meeting, Mickey slipped into the bathroom and swallowed his heat suppressor. He couldn’t miss a single day otherwise he could it could possibly come all at once without warning. He wanted to stop taking them, but if he was going to be staying in the alpha/beta dorm, he had to be very careful. He couldn’t take any chances.

He wanted to bring up the omega services lady in the meeting but he couldn’t with Ian and a couple of betas from his dorm there. There were only two other alphas besides Ian that were attending the meeting and they were not people he recognized. There were five betas in total and around twenty omegas including Mickey. Everyone but the betas seemed incredibly uncomfortable. The omegas that had recognized Mickey as an omega gave him weird looks as he was the only one sitting directly next to (their thighs kept touching and Mickey needed a little air) an alpha. But the betas and alphas didn’t notice that little detail.

Eventually, by the end of the meeting, people began getting a little warmed up to each other. After all, they were all here for the same cause.

Mickey found himself drifting towards the other omegas. He found extreme comfort in their presence without even looking for it.

“So is he like your mate?” One girl asks.

Mickey frowned, confused. “Who?”

The girl pointed behind him and he turned to see Ian, deep in conversation with a group of people.

“Oh, uh... no he isn’t. He’s my roommate.” The omegas were confused now. “The residence office messed up on my form and there’s no more room in the omega dorm. So I have to stay with him until the end of the semester.”

The omegas nodded in understanding.

“He doesn’t know that I’m an omega though,” he added. “So I’d appreciate if no one told him.”

“Don’t worry. Did you visit omega services?”

“Yeah but the lady’s a bitch,” Mickey said scowling.

The omegas giggled. “Yeah she is. You should probably tell him. He seems nice enough. And it would be better to hear it from you than it would be to find out in some embarrassing way.”

Mickey nodded, even though he didn’t plan on listening. They were probably right, but he still wasn’t willing to risk it. He’d just tell Ian at the end of the semester.

On the way back to their room, Ian started joking around with him.

“Those omegas took a real liking to you, huh? They were all practically flocking you.”

Mickey blushed at Ian’s teasing. “Fuck off.”

“Anyone you’re particularly interested in?”

He sighed. At least he didn’t have to lie about this part. “Yeah, but not any of them.”

“You gotta introduce me some time.”

\----

Two months into the semester. Mickey was late for his first class of the day. He was too busy in the bathroom, staring at his pill box. He was sure that he’d counted the days right but he was three pills short and he couldn’t refill his prescription till the end of the month. It didn’t make any sense.

He groaned in frustration and grimaced. He decided to space them out. There was only less than a week left in the month anyways and he was sure he could probably make it. He had enough artificial scent to mask his own and he felt confident that nothing bad would happen.

His little infatuation with Ian had been growing. Especially since he had slowly been discovering what kind of person Ian was.

During one of the OAA meetings, Ian had confessed that before he presented as an alpha, people had been sure that he would be an omega, and treated him as such. Which was why he was so adamant to never treat an omega as a second class citizen, the way he’d experienced.

Ian had told Mickey about his family and his home and his hopes and dreams. Mickey had told Ian nothing. It was obvious that Ian noticed Mickeys hesitance to share things, and the way he was distancing himself from his roommate. But Ian didn’t know that the reason Mickey did this was because he _liked_ Ian, not because he didn’t like Ian.

Still, Mickey told him nothing.

He sighed and took his pill before leaving for class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It wasn't too embarrassing.

It was the last day of the month and Mickey could finally get a refill on his prescription. But he couldn’t even move. He couldn’t even get out of bed to go to his classes. Ian had left early in the morning. It was afternoon now and Mickey was reduced to fingering himself for some—for any—relief. He knew his heat was coming, and he wouldn’t be able to stop it. An hour later, not satiated at all, he burrowed into the covers and tried to get some sleep.

He heard the door open and was glad that he’d sprayed the artificial alpha scent. He hoped Ian wouldn’t notice, but he wasn’t very confident about it.

“Mickey? Did you not go to your classes?”

Mickey stayed quiet. Actually, he didn’t. Ian’s scent drifted through his blanket and invaded his nose and he moaned in an embarrassing manner.

“You okay?”

“Ian…” Mickey pulled the blanket off his reddened face and saw that Ian was crouched down next to his bed.

Ian involuntarily took a deep breath and took in Mickeys scent. His eyes flashed gold and he frowned, turning away.

“Mickey... are you... in heat?”

“No fucking shit! Ian I need you.”

“No you don’t” Ian turned back around, his eyes still gold and helped Mickey, who was wearing just a shirt for comfort, out of bed. Mickey was embarrassed by the amount of slick that stained his sheets and how hard he was. Ian helped him into sweatpants, all the while swatting away Mickeys hands, which were trying to get down his own pants. “Mickey stop it!”

“Please Ian.”

Ian shook his head as he pulled Mickey out of the room and out into the hallway, holding him protectively and away from a few alphas that were roaming the halls. They turned to look at the duo but saw Ian’s eyes and backed off.

Ian managed to get Mickey to the nursing station that was part of the tiny omega services center. Thankfully, the person in charge here wasn’t an alpha. That could have been bad.

“I think he’s in heat,” Ian told the man behind the counter. Mickey clung to him, still wishing that Ian would just fuck him and get it over with.

The man pulled up Mickeys records and frowned. “Aren’t you on suppressants?”

Mickey nodded. “I ran out.”

The man pulled Mickey out of Ian’s grip. Ian’s eyes flashed even brighter.

“Don’t worry,” the man told him. “He’ll be fine.”

The man took Mickey into another room and told him that there were a lot of unmated omegas at the college who didn’t take any kind of suppressants and that they all had alpha volunteers (with proper background checks and other precautions taken) assigned to them and that there would be no problem finding one for him.

But he didn’t want some random volunteer.

He wanted Ian.

That week was horrible for him. And he hadn’t realized how truly unsatisfactory it was for him until he got back to his dorm room at the end of it and saw Ian. He was already in a sour mood and the pitiful and probing looks he got once he was in the dorm only made it worse. Ian’s surprised look when he walked in didn’t help either.

“Hey I—”

“Don’t say a fucking word,” he said, interrupting Ian rudely. “I’ll be out of here by the end of the semester.”

Ian frowned at him and he automatically remembered that he couldn’t talk to alphas like that. He’d been pretending for months now and had gotten used to being treated as an equal. He should’ve know that it was too good to be true.

“I’m sorry. Forgive me.” He averted his gaze but not before he saw Ian roll his eyes.

“Shut up, Mickey. You should have told me.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Stop saying you’re sorry. We both know you’re not and I know that the _real_ you would never apologize.”

“The real me?” Mickey asked, settling onto his bed. The sheets had been washed. He wondered if Ian had been in the one to wash them.

“Yeah, the real you. The you that you were able to show when you weren’t pressured by rules and stereotypes.”

“Don’t get all activist on me man.”

“Sorry but it’s true.” They avoided each other’s gazes for a second. “You should have told me. It would have made me a little bit more prepared to find you like that.”

Mickey turned red at the memory of his hands trying to undo Ian’s belt and telling him— _begging_ him—to fuck him. Telling Ian how much he _needed_ him. He’d never been more embarrassed than at that point and he was sure he would never live it down.

“I’m pretty sure that everyone knows by now,” Ian told him. Mickey groaned and hid his face in his hands. “But if anyone bothers you, you tell me and I’ll take care of it.”

“Seriously?” Mickey laughed. “I don’t think anyone’s scared of you Ian.”

“They will be if they mess with you.”

Mickey frowned. “I can take care of myself.”

“I don’t doubt it. But if something like last week happens again, you won’t really be in the state to help yourself.”

“It won’t happen again. I’m back on suppressants. And now I know I can go to the clinic if I’m running low.”

“It’s a possibility.”

“It won’t happen again,” Mickey repeated firmly.

Ian shrugged. “If you say so. Just know that if you ever need any help, I’m here for you.”

“I’m sure you mean well and shit, but I’m serious when I say that I can survive on my own.”

Ian nodded.

“I’m serious!”

“I believe you.”

“You don’t look like you do.”

“I swear I believe you.”

“I don’t need people thinking you’re like my fucking body guard or something.” Ian laughed at the way Mickey was looking at him with skepticism.

"Don't worry about it. No bodyguard vibes from me."

Mickey didn't know if he was imagining it or not but he could've sworn there was an unsaid question hanging above their heads.

_Maybe not a bodyguard, but an overprotective boyfriend...?_

Nope. He absolutely had to be imagining that. But Ian was biting his lip and looked deep in thought. Was he thinking the same thing?

Probably not.

"So does it suck?"

"Does what suck?"

"Heat without a mate. I heard that it's horrible."

Mickey laughed. "Well it's not great but it's not bad. If the alpha you get is decent at—"

"Wait, what?"

"What?"

Ian stared at him in blatant confusion. "The alpha you get?"

"Yeah, the volunteer."

"Is that a joke?" Ian scoffed.

"Why would I joke about something like this?"

"Don't tell me you expect me to believe that alphas can volunteer to fuck omegas during their heat."

"Believe it or not that's what happens."

Ian frowned. "So... you and... some stranger were having sex this past week. Like continuously."

"You didn't phrase that as a question so I'm going to assume you're beginning to understand how this works." Mickey clapped sarcastically before he got up to go to the bathroom. "Oh and it wasn't a stranger. The volunteer was from our dorm. He's only a couple of doors down."

After taking a quick shower he came out again, only to find Ian pacing in front his bed. Ian's head shot up when he walked out.

"Would you breed or become mates?"

"Fucking hell Gallagher! Are you still on that?"

"Just answer the question."

Mickey was confused by Ian's interest. "He's not allowed to knot me or give me a mating bite so no I wouldn't breed and just fucking doesn't make us mates. But it's not uncommon for omegas and volunteers to end up choosing each other as mates later in life."

"You want to choose him for a mate?"

"Fuck no! Guy could barely give a hand job. Besides it was just one time. It's not gonna happen again. I don't plan on going off suppressants while I'm at college."

"And after?"

"What do you care?"

"I don't." Ian shrugged.

"Then lay off man."

"Okay, sorry," Ian said. Then he smirked. "So this uh... volunteering thing where can I sign up?"

Mickey rolled up his towel and threw it at Ian’s head. Ian ducked, laughing hard. "Shut up, man."

They didn't talk much for the rest of the night. Mickey fell asleep quickly. He was exhausted, more from his strange conversation with Ian than anything else.

And Ian couldn't sleep at all, because he kept thinking about how his roommate was an omega and had been fucked by someone that he probably knew. He wished he had taken up Mickeys offer, when Mickey had begged Ian to fuck him and told him how much he needed Ian. But he knew it would have been wrong, no matter how much he wanted to. So he hadn't and he didn't regret it. Mickey hadn't been in the right state of mind and likely wouldn't have ever been able to trust Ian if he'd taken advantage of the situation.

Ian had kind of suspected that Mickey wasn't an alpha. There was always this subtle scent that sort of gave it away, but he'd never been sure and never confronted Mickey about it because he didn't want to offend him or have Mickey pull back from the friendship they'd created within the past few months. Mickey hadn't opened up to him very easily in the first place.

He was glad that there weren't any big secrets between them now.

Well there was one, at least.

And that was something he wasn't going to tell Mickey _ever_ because he might lose him.

He'd never tell Mickey that the way he smelled (which was stronger and more apparent now that he knew that Mickey was an omega for sure) made Ian painfully hard and it took all of his restraint not to wake Mickey up in that moment and tell him to turn over and spread his legs for Ian.

No, he'd never admit that. It would probably only piss Mickey off.

So he only got up and locked himself in the bathroom till the early hours of the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will take a bit longer :(
> 
> I have to update my other fic and do schoolwork as well but I don't plan on abandoning this, especially with all the love it's received :D
> 
> I hope you guys can be slightly patient!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you think this will be satisfying then you're wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated!

There was a knock on their door early next morning, Mickey was barely awake, and Ian had only just fallen into a restless sleep. Mickey answered the door, only to find the smiling face of ‘can barely give a hand job’ guy. Mickey thinks his name was Tom or something but he mostly doesn’t care.

“What time do your classes start?”

“What?” Mickey muttered, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“Were you still sleeping?”

Mickey gave Tom a dirty look. “No shit.”

“I was thinking I’d walk you. You know, just in case someone tries to give you trouble.”

“No thanks. I can take care of my fucking self.”

Tom scoffs. “Sure. Look, I’ve heard some people talking and they’re not saying very nice things. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“As you can see, I’m in one piece. And I’m not planning on going to classes today anyways. I’m beat.”

Tom smirked and eyed Mickey up and down. “Did I tire you out?”

Mickey slammed the door in his face, startling Ian and waking him up. The volunteers all had background checks done on them to ensure the safety of the omegas. Too bad they didn’t get personality checks too.

“Who was that?” Ian asked, raising himself onto his elbows. His thin duvet outlined the shape of his body—the arch of his back, the curve of his ass—in a way that made Mickey gulp audibly.

“No one.”

Ian shrugged and buried his nose into his pillow. Mickey stared at the way his hair stuck out in different directions. He willed himself to get back into bed and turn his back but instead he lay on his side watching the top half of Ian’s body rise and fall with each breath. Ian shifted, groaning slightly in his light sleep, and Mickey could see his face. He opened his eyes only to find Mickey looking intently at him.

“Stop staring at me,” Ian said, hiding his face in the crook of his elbow.

“I’m not.” Mickey didn’t look away.

“Yes you are, you creep,” came the muffled reply.

“Fuck you I’ll do whatever I want.”

A pillow came flying in his direction. He couldn’t really avoid it since he was lying down but he grabbed it and shot up and out of bed with new found energy. He tackled Ian, assaulting him with the pillow. Ian let Mickey do it, accepting the soft blows, only pretending to fight him off. Mickey tired out eventually, becoming acutely aware of the fact that he was practically sitting on Ian's chest. Both of them were breathing hard from laughing when the mood in the room took a sudden turn. They were both feeling hot and Mickey could feel—

Mickey could feel Ian's fingers on the back of his thigh. Not wanting to read the situation wrong and be embarrassed for the rest of his life, he tore his eyes away from Ian's so he could concentrate on getting off.

"No, wait." Ian flipped them over and pinned Mickey down onto his mattress, holding his arms down. Mickey didn't try to struggle, but he did look angry.

"What are you doing, Ian?"

Ian grinned. "You're not going to class right? So just stay here."

"I _am_ staying here. I don't plan on leaving the dorm."

"No, dummy." Ian rolled his eyes. "As in _here_. In this bed. With me."

Ian might have been smirking like a fuckboy on the outside, but on the inside he was freaking out. He felt bold for making the first move, that also only a day after Mickey was back, but he had _no fucking clue_ how Mickey would react to it. In all honesty, despite feeling Mickeys hard on against his own, he expected Mickey to knee him in the crotch at any moment.

But Mickey just gulped and glanced down at Ian's lips. His heart was beating fast but he chose sarcasm over a reasonable response. "I have my own bed, but thanks for the offer asshole. Now let me go."

"Are you sure? Because I could swear," Ian bent his head down to nip at Mickeys neck and then pulled up again to look Mickey in the eyes, "that you're enjoying this."

After seeing the look on Mickeys face, Ian dipped his head down again. Mickey pushed his hips into Ian's and inhaled the alpha scent Ian was emitting. Not that he had much of a choice, all the air surrounding was drenched in the smells of Ian.

 _This is what it's like isn't it?_ Mickey thought. _A false sense of comfort and safety. Getting intoxicated into thinking that you want it. That you're wanted._

Ian's mouth travelled from the nape of Mickeys neck to his chin and then his—

"Stop!" Ian stopped, frowning. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Mickey I was just—"

"Get off!"

Ian removed his hands from Mickey and pulled away, allowing Mickey to get up. "There, I'm off, okay? Tell me what's wrong."

Mickey glared at him and got off the bed. He grabbed some clothes off the floor at random, hoping they were clean, and locked himself in the bathroom. Ian got up and went to the bathroom door.

"Seriously? You liked it one second and now you won't even tell me what I did wrong?" There was no reply. "Mickey? Don't do this. Just tell me what's wrong."

The door opened and Mickey pushed past Ian, fully dressed, and grabbed his things. "I'm going to class. I missed a week already."

"Mick—"

"Just forget it okay?"

Mickey left the room hastily, leaving Ian feeling like an idiot.

\----

When Mickey came back in the afternoon, Ian had just woken up from catching up on his sleep.

"We need to talk."

Mickey rolled his eyes but didn't look at Ian. "There's nothing to talk about. Nothing happened."

"Yes there is. I'm sorry okay? I read the situation wrong, and I shouldn't have been so forward."

"You didn't misinterpret anything.”

Ian frowned. He got up and approached Mickey, who hadn't moved from the doorway. "Then what's the problem?"

"I don't— I mean, I _can't._ There's no problem but I just can't right now."

"I don't understand."

"Of course you don't. You're an alpha so you don't have to understand. You never have to understand because you can do whatever you want, right?"

"Mick—"

"It's not fair okay. It's not fair that what I had to deal with in class today now that everyone knows I'm an omega. It's not fair how openly people are allowed to harass me and I'm not allowed to speak up against them because of who I am. It's not fair that _you_ get to offer to protect me one second and then make me feel obligated to sleep with you the next."

Mickey shoved a slack jawed Ian hard in the shoulder and started throwing his things around, shoving them in his bag. It took Ian a second to recover, but when he did, he grabbed Mickey by the arm to turn him his way.

"What are you doing?"

"Packing." Mickey pulled his arm out of Ian's grip. "Fuck off."

"Are you dropping out?"

"What other fucking choice do I have? No one’s going to accept me here so what's the fucking point?"

Ian pulled Mickeys bag out of his reach.

"Give it back Ian."

"Not until we resolve this and you stop talking crazy shit."

Mickey dove for the bag and he and Ian struggled for a second before Ian had Mickey pinned against a wall—his forearm pressed under Mickeys chin, but not against his windpipe.

"You're not _obligated_ to sleep with me. I'm sorry I made you feel like you were but I didn't mean to. I really did think that you wanted it too."

"I do," Mickey said quietly. "But I can't want it."

"Why not?"

"It'll end bad. We're not mates, and you're not a volunteer, and so many other fucking things that just won't work out."

Ian nodded and let go of Mickey. "You're right. It probably won't work. It was stupid of me to try."

"That's not what I—"

Ian wrapped Mickey into a warm hug, cutting him off.

"I know that's not what you meant, but it was still dumb of me to come onto you like that. I could have done it a different way."

Mickey was loving the amount of comfort he was feeling in Ian’s arms, but he couldn't admit it. Not to Ian and not to himself. Because admitting it meant that he really did have a sliver of hope that this could work out between them. That it wasn't that bad of an idea. That statistically, Ian, as any other alpha with alpha instincts, wasn't likely to be the cause of his death, or at least assault him in some way. But he couldn't ignore the fact that Ian had just overpowered him and thrown him into a wall.

"That's nice and all Gallagher but do you mind getting the fuck off me? I have a project due in two days and the canvas is still white."

Ian laughed and pulled back. "So you're staying?"

"Yeah I'm fucking staying. Get out of my way."

\----

A few weeks later, Ian had a rugby game against another college. He invited Mickey, telling him 'it'll be fun' and 'I need you for moral support' and then when Mickey sarcastically reminded Ian that he wasn't a cheerleader (omegas technically weren't allowed to do that anyways) Ian told him 'but you'll be supporting me in spirit and that's enough'.

"I can support you in spirit from here," Mickey told him.

"Yeah but by the time your support reaches me, I'll already have lost. The closer you are the better!"

"No thanks."

Ian nudged his shoulder. "Come on it'll be fun. And there's a party afterwards. Whether we win or not we're gonna party like we did."

"No thanks."

" _Please_."

"Not interested."

"I promise that you won't regret it."

"And if I do?"

Ian sighed. "Then I'll go to those dumb art shows you're always talking about with you."

"Never asked you to come."

"I'll stop eating the last slice of pizza. And I'll stop leaving my laundry on the bathroom floor. And I'll never ask you to do anything for me ever again."

"Okay I'll come! Just stop talking." Ian smiled in victory and left Mickey alone.

Mickey walked to the game alone, because Ian had pre game practice. The beta collecting tickets at the front took a look at him and then his ticket before tossing it back at Mickey.

"Sorry, no unaccompanied omegas allowed."

"Is that a fucking joke?"

"Rules."

"What kind of fucking rule is that? You don't let us play on the teams and now we're not allowed to watch either?"

"You're allowed to watch, but only if you have an alpha or a beta with you."

Mickey pushed up his sleeves and was about to get in the betas face when a hand pulled him back.

"Relax," a voice whispered in his ear before addressing the ticket collector. "He's with me."

The beta nodded and let them through.

Mickey whipped his head around to see who was dragging him to the stands by the arm. It was Tom.

"That wasn't necessary."

"He wouldn't have let you in."

"He would have if I rearranged his face."

"You would have gotten expelled. How would that have helped in proving anything?"

Tom let go of Mickeys arm and they both sat down. Mickey ignored him and let his eyes roam the field where the players were getting ready. He saw Ian looking his way and was about to wave when he realized that Ian wasn't looking at him, but instead at Tom.

Ever since Ian had found out Tom was the volunteer that Mickey had spent his heat with, he'd been particularly cold towards him. From what Mickey had gathered, Ian and Tom had sort of been friends before that—in most of the same courses and sports teams.

Which reminded Mickey...

"Aren't you _on_ the rugby team?"

Tom pulled one of his arms out of his bulky jacket sleeve to reveal a large black brace. "Sprained it pretty badly. Can't even move my elbow."

Mickey nodded and went back to ignoring him. The game was about to start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DID YOU GUYS THINK THEY WERE GONNA GET TOGETHER HAHA JOKE'S ON YOU


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey doesn't know anything about rugby and neither do I.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TWO HUNDRED KUDOS?!?! OMFG YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING!!!
> 
> Which is why I speed wrote a chapter during school for you.
> 
> It's a bit short and please excuse all the grammar and spelling mistakes, I'll edit it later.

Ian glared towards Mickey and Tom’s direction up until the whistle was blown. The game started off to the advantage of the opposite team but their side gained the ball back quickly thanks to a particularly bulky player. The game went by pretty quickly for Mickey, who didn't really understand what was going on. He just watched Ian run, and catch and throw, looking his way between plays and smiling.

"So you like rugby?" Tom asked. Mickey eyed him from the corner of his eye.

"Don't know a thing about it. Came here to support Ian."

"Why Ian?" Tom frowned a little before the memory hit him. "Oh right. You guys are roommates. Totally forgot about that."

"Forgot, huh? Kinda difficult when it's all people have been talking about these past few weeks." Mickey altered his voice to mock the various people he had heard talking about him and Ian. "An omega and an alpha sharing the same living space and they're not mates? How scandalous!"

"People are stupid," Tom said. "They obviously don't know you. And that's why they judge you."

" _You_ don't know me."

"I know what you look like when you cum." Tom smirked. "I think that says a lot about a person."

Mickey turned red. "Yeah well don't get too cocky. Otherwise I'll start telling people how much you suck at hand jobs."

"Don't lie to yourself Mickey, you loved my hand jobs." Tom’s uninjured hand shamelessly reached over to palm Mickey’s crotch over his sweatpants.

Mickey jumped slightly and turned to face Tom. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Proving a point." Tom didn't move his hand and Mickey didn't make him. He looked around and felt relieved when he saw that there was no one else at the top of the bleachers where they were. Tom curled his fingers around Mickeys shaft as far as the cloth of the sweatpants would allow them to go and Mickey gripped the metal of the bleachers with both his hands, letting his eyes flutter close.

The crowd cheered and he snapped his eyes open to see Ian’s teammates engulfing him in a hug. Did he score, or like win, or... something? Mickey didn't know. Partly because he didn't know how the game worked and partly because Toms fingers were at the waistband of his boxers now.

Ian turned to look his way and his smile dropped at the same time Mickeys heart did. Could he tell what was happening? Mickey hoped that he couldn't. He also hoped that the people in front of him wouldn't turn around.

"Calm down," Tom whispered, his mouth at Mickey’s ear. "No one’s gonna know."

Ian was still staring. No, glaring. He could definitely see how close Tom was to him right now. But he had to get back to playing.

Tom pushed his sweatpants and boxers down enough to get a comfortable hold on Mickeys cock. Mickey even raised his hips to make it easier, his ass bare against the cold metal of the bleachers. Tom stroked him at decent pace, and then slowed down, tightening his grip and teasing his thumb over the leaking head, and then sped up again.

Mickey was embarrassed by how close he was. His eyes closed again and he clenched his teeth so he wouldn't make a sound. Tom’s lips were still at his ear, nibbling the skin softly.

The crowd let out a collective gasp and all of a sudden there was a lot of yelling and protest. Mickey opened his eyes. Ian was on the ground, surrounded by his teammates and some players from the other team. Even Tom had stopped pleasuring him and was leaning forward to see what was going on. Seeing Ian on the ground, clutching his ankle, made him go flaccid in less than a second and he pulled his boxers and pants up again.

"What's going on?" He asked, nudging Tom.

"Bad tackle. Should be a foul but the refs not giving it."

"Is Ian okay?"

"Doesn't look like it." Ian was being helped off the field now by some medics and Mickey shot up and pushed past Tom to make his way down the bleachers. Tom didn't stop him.

\----

Everything was going good for Ian. His team was winning, he was playing really well, and Mickey was here cheering him on (in spirit because Mickey doesn't _cheer_ ). That asshole Tom was here too but Ian wasn't going to let that bother him because Mickey had told him that there was nothing between them.

Not that it mattered. Mickey wasn't his. But at the same time it did matter. Ian wanted to tell Mickey how much he liked him at the party after the game. And maybe kiss him. That would be nice.

He knows that Mickey doesn't think they'd work out but he wanted to prove that he was willing to try his best if Mickey felt the same way too. A little effort could go a long way.

He looked up at the bleachers where Mickey was sitting and saw that Tom was whispering something in his ear and Mickey was biting his lip. _What the fuck?_

He had to concentrate again. The ball came to him and he was running but he couldn't get his mind off how close Mickey and Tom were sitting. He took his attention off the field for a second and let it wander off so that he was looking at Mickey again. And what he saw was making his blood boil.

Mickeys eyes were squeezed shut and his head was thrown back and Toms arm was moving rhythmically and his hand was near Mickeys—

"Fuck!" He didn't see the tackle coming. Someone rammed into him from the side and his ankle twisted the wrong way as he fell. He was sure he heard a snap over the sounds of the crowd. His foot was on fire and his vision blurred. Tears were forming in his eyes and only part of the reason was the pain.

He was surrounded by people, making him feel claustrophobic but eventually they moved away and the medics helped him to the bench.

It didn't take long for Mickey to push through a bunch of disapproving alphas and come sit next to him. The coach looked like he wanted to tell Mickey off but the game had started up again and he was too busy barking orders. One of the medics examining his ankle pulled of his shoe and rolled down his sock as Mickey put a hand on his arm.

"Fuck Ian are you okay?”

"Mickey you should go," Ian said.

"What are you talking about? I'm staying right fucking here. Who's gonna get you back to the dorm?"

"I’ll manage. Just go."

"No way in hell—"

"Just leave me the fuck alone Mickey!"

Mickey was startled at the tone Ian was using with him. Everyone around them was pretending not to listen to their conversation.

"Fine," Mickey said, getting up. "I was just trying to be nice."

Ian regretted treating Mickey like that. It was not his place to get angry at Mickey for getting a hand job. He tried to call him back.

"Mickey wait!"

"Fuck you." He wanted to chase after him, but the medic had a tight hold on his leg.

"You’re going to need a cast," she said. Ian barely listened. Only watched Mickey’s retreating back.

\----

He got back from the hospital, really late in the night with bright blue cast (because white ones got dirty really easy). Mickey was sleeping soundly in his bed. Ian, still feeling the medication he had gotten for the pain buzzing in his veins, went and sat down next to the sleeping figure. He knew somewhere in his mind that it was a horrible idea—he was sweaty, covered in dirt, and Mickey was mad at him—but he did it anyways.

"Mickey," he whisper-shouted, shaking Mickeys shoulder. Mickey raised his head and scowled.

"What the hell Ian? You stink, go take a fucking shower."

"Don't have a plastic bag."

Mickey took a look at Ian's cast and then groaned before getting up and finding a plastic bag for him. Ian accepted it with a grin and attacked Mickey with a hug.

"You're the best." Ian kissed the top of Mickeys head as he struggled. "I’m sorry for being mean to you."

Mickey, who had been trying to move his face away from Ian's dank armpits, finally got away and took a breath of clean air as Ian pulled away.

"You forgive me, right?"

"Go shower Gallagher, and let me sleep."

Mickey settled back into his bed and despite not being able to sleep, he ignored Ian for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you thought. Or tell me what you'd like to see happen. Or tell me about your hopes and dreams and aspirations.
> 
> Whatever works :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Does this count as progress?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of violence in this chapter.

Ian and Mickey hadn’t had a proper conversation since Ian had given him a hug in a haze of pain medication. Their contact mostly consisted of the first person to wake up sadly gazing at the other sleeping and then leaving before the other wakes up in the mornings, and avoiding eye contact until one of them gives up and goes to bed early in the evenings. It wasn’t ideal.

Tom wasn’t leaving Mickey alone. After the incident in the stands, Mickey promised himself that he’d never let himself get influenced like that for the cheap thrill of a public handy, but it was really difficult with Tom always hanging around him. He was always waiting to walk Mickey to class, or from class, or telling him they should go out. Of course, no one who noticed ever did anything about it and Ian avoided both Mickey and Tom like the plague.

“Come stay in my room tonight,” Tom told him. They were walking to the lecture hall that Mickey’s Art History class was taking place in. “My roommate is out of town.”

“Congrats, do you want a fucking cookie or something?”

“I want you to come spend the night with me, Mick”

Mickey didn’t look at him. “Don’t fucking call me that.”

He walked faster and disappeared into the crowd going into the hall.

He didn’t manage to avoid Tom on the way out.

“Come on, it’ll be fun.” He felt a hand grab onto the material of his shirt and he stopped walking. He elbowed Tom in the gut as hard as he could, earning a loud groan and a bunch of stares in his direction before he hurried off.

Back in his dorm that evening, he was fumbling in his pocket for his keys when he heard laughter coming through the door. No, not laughter. _Giggling._

He pushed the door open with a prominent frown on his face. There was an omega sitting on Ian's desk chair, smiling widely. Ian was sitting at the foot of his bed. They both looked up at Mickey’s entrance and the omega got up while Ian looked away and cleared his throat.

"Hey Mickey!" Mickey recognized her from OAA. He thinks her name had to do with a nursery rhyme. He didn't think that she was Ian’s type and while he had never really _liked_ her before, definitely didn't now.

So he only nodded in her general direction.

"Well, I should get going, Ian. I'm _really_ glad you chose me to be your muse for your project."

"How could I not?"

 _Of course_ , Mickey thought. _Always the charmer._

Ian followed the omega to the door and bid her a warm farewell. Then he sat down at his desk and hunched over a notebook. Mickey sat in front of an empty canvas and began mixing colours on his palate. They both worked in silence—Mickey’s brush gliding smoothly across the white plastered cloth and Ian’s pen scratching at the paper of his book.

Ian was the first to get up. He picked a pair of sweats off of the floor on his side of the room and began getting changed right there.

"Hey, listen, I'm gonna be late coming back to the dorm tomorrow. Mary invited me to come with her to this new restaurant that opened just off campus with her friends. They don't really want to leave the property on their own because the area is kind of shady."

"Good for you." Mickey’s eyes took a good mental picture as Ian pulled his shirt over his head.

"Just telling you so you don't worry or something." The sweatpants that Ian was already wearing came off next. It was all Ian could wear till his cast came off anyways. All that he could fit his foot through.

"Wasn't gonna." The cast had been signed by practically everyone that Ian knew at the college. Even the guy who tackled him had come in with an apology and doodled over Ian’s ankle. Everyone except Mickey had had the chance. Ian hadn't asked him to. Mickey hadn't asked if he could either.

Ian didn't reply. He only turned off the lamp on his bedside table and lay down on his back covering himself with his duvet.

Mickey decided to take advantage of a promise that Ian had made to him. He knew it wasn't fair to Ian, not after what Ian had witnessed (because even though the redhead had never directly said anything, there could be no other plausible explanation for why Ian would snap at the way he had and start ignoring him). He also knew it wasn't fair that he was pretending to be mad at Ian for yelling at him. But he was doing it anyways. He didn't know why he had thought it would pay to be a petty asshole.

After a little while, Mickey spoke up quietly.

"Tom asked me to spend the night with him."

Ian sighed. "Why are you telling me this?"

"He won't leave me alone, Ian."

"I don't understand what the problem is. You've never seemed to have any complaints about his sexual advances before." Ian turned to his side so his back was to Mickey.

Mickey frowned. He did not expect that response, but now that he had gotten it, he felt like he should have. He hadn't realized it, but his canvas had all of a sudden gone from warm reds and yellows to blues and blacks. He swore under his breath. He'd have to paint it over with white in the morning and start over. With no energy left in him, he got ready for bed and collapsed face down into his covers.

"He hasn't hurt you, right?"

Mickey’s head shot up from his pillow at the sound of Ian's voice.

"No."

Ian didn't say anything after that.

\----

The next morning, Ian was asleep when Mickey woke up. He checked his canvas to see if the old paint was dry before covering it in white. When he left, Tom wasn't waiting for him. In fact, he didn't see Tom all day, and he hadn't felt so happy in a very long time.

Then he saw Mary among the group of omegas he's been hanging out with since Ian had started to (mostly) ignore him, and his mood plummeted. He decided not to be outright rude to her though. It wasn't her fault Ian was mad at him. It was his fault.

"Hey Mickey, there's this restaurant that just opened up not too far from campus. We have dinner reservations there. Wanna come?"

Before he could answer, Mary spoke up. "Yeah you should totally come. I already got Ian to come with us so it should be pretty safe."

"Nah it's okay. I have a project that I gotta get done."

The omega that had posed the original question raised an eyebrow at him. "You sure that's the reason? Or is it because you and a certain someone still aren't talking."

A couple of the other omegas laughed. Mary looked genuinely surprised. "You and Ian aren't talking? Why not? What happened?"

"I don't need this from any of you," Mickey muttered as he got up to leave the group. There was a round of protests.

"Aw Mick, don't go."

"Yeah we're just teasing."

But Mary said: "Damn shame, I always thought you guys were a cute couple."

Mickey turned to face her. "What?"

"I always thought you guys were cute together."

"We're not together," Mickey snapped before leaving.

He could hear the rest of the group telling Mary not to take his tone personally, that the topic of Ian was just a sore spot with him lately.

And he wished it were just that—a sore spot. But it was so much more. It was a third degree burn in his throat that had a tormenting ache every time he took a breath. It was wound refusing to go numb. It was a phantom limb. He had no idea how to even _begin_ to heal.

He needed Ian to heal. But Ian wasn't going to come to him so easily and Mickey was too stubborn to reach out the way he knew he needed to.

\----

Alone in the dorm room that night, Mickey was finally making proper progress on his canvas.

The door burst open, slamming against the wall violently. Before Mickey could turn around to see who it was, he was grabbed by the hair and pulled up. The hand in his hair smashed his face into the wall. His nose collided painfully and his vision blurred as he tasted metal.

"Did you report me?" Someone asked him. Tom.

Mickey could only groan at the headache he felt coming on.

"I asked you a fucking question Mickey!" He was pulled back and then propelled forward again. "Did you fucking report me for sexual harassment?"

"No! Are you crazy? Let me go!" His head swam and he felt nauseous. He couldn't make his limbs obey him.

"Yes you did. I _know_ it was you. It couldn't be anyone else. And now I'm getting fucking expelled."

"Are you kidding me? The school board would never listen to an omega."

"Well, obviously they listened to you." Tom dragged Mickey by the hair away from the wall and threw him onto his bed. "You think that me asking you to come over was sexual harassment? I'll fucking show you sexual harassment."

Mickey, who still couldn't see anything properly, was laying back, unable to raise his head, holding his nose and blinking rapidly. Tom grabbed him by the hips and turned him around.

"Wha— get off me! I didn't fucking report you!"

Mickey felt tired and sleepy. There was blood from his nose going down his throat and there was no energy in his body. So his struggles against Tom as he shoved Mickey’s pants down and sat on his legs so he would stop kicking were useless. Tom grabbed Mickey’s hands as well but Mickey kept pulling them free, so he just stopped trying and held Mickey’s hips in a bruising grip instead.

As his vision cleared slightly, Mickey could make out Ian’s baseball bat across the room. But he'd never get to it. Not without a distraction. He spotted a ceramic mug right in front of him. Was he strong enough? He didn't think so. But it was worth a try if it could startle Tom for even a second. So he grabbed at it and twisted around to smash it into the side of Tom’s head. Mickey was right. It did startle Tom. But not enough to make him get off Mickey’s legs. Only enough to make him mad.

Tom turned Mickey around again, only to begin abusing his face. The blows came hard and fast. And painful. Mickey wished he'd just lain there and taken it instead of trying to get away. But he didn't want to give up. He noticed that Tom was no longer putting pressure on his legs. So with an unimaginable amount of effort, he brought his knee up and into contact with Tom’s crotch.

Tom stopped hitting him and grabbed his balls with both hands, his face turning red. He swore out loudly and rolled onto the ground. Mickey scrambled off the bed and dove for the baseball bat. He was so close when Tom grabbed onto his ankle. He pulled himself closer and closer until his fingers wrapped around the base and he turned and swung without aiming.

There was sickening crack and suddenly the room was silent. The bat fell out of Mickey’s hand and the grip on his ankle slackened. He didn't look at what he'd done. He only crawled to Ian’s side of the room and climbed onto his bed. He knew he was getting blood all over Ian’s things—his covers, his blanket, his pillows, some papers that Ian had left there—but he didn't care. He needed Ian’s scent for comfort. He needed to get Tom’s scent off of him.

When Ian came back, he didn't know what was going on. Tom was on the floor, bleeding badly but visibly breathing, and Mickey was sleeping in his bed. He called the RA who called an ambulance for Tom and within ten minutes, the paramedics had him out of there. The commotion had gathered a crowd outside their room but hadn't woken up Mickey, so only when Ian went up to his bed and pulled the blanket away from Mickey’s face did he realize that Mickey probably needed medical attention too.

He didn't call the RA back. Because he knew Mickey would be blamed for what happened to Tom no matter what Tom did to him. But he had a plan. So he only got into bed beside Mickey, next to him but not touching him, and fell asleep. He'd deal with his little mess of an omega in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My punctuation sucks I'm so sorry. English isn't my first language but I'm working on it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minimum dialogue and Mickeys attempt at poetry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unedited, I'm sorry.

Ian went to Omega Services for the second time in two days. Mickey was still asleep when he woke up, so he had quietly left. He returned with one of the staff members from the clinic, the same one who had been there when Mickey had his heat. The man tried to rouse Mickey and got a limited response at first, and then slowly Mickey opened his eyes and tried to make sense of his surroundings. The second Ian saw that Mickey was awake, he left for classes.

The entire college had heard about what had happened and there was a clear segregation in thought on who was at fault. Majority of the alphas thought that Mickey shouldn't have dared to treat an alpha like that and should have just taken what was coming to him. But that was expected. The only thing was that they couldn't do a thing about their opinions except voice them. Because they had also heard that the reason Tom had even gone over there was because Mickey had somehow managed to voice his own opinion against an alpha and gotten a response from the college board in form of expulsion.

Of course none of them knew that Mickey wasn't stupid enough to try and get Tom expelled for some uncalled for comments and a little derogatory treatment. They didn't even question the fact that Mickey didn't have the power to sway the college board with any kind of complaint at all. Being an omega, he could get murdered and the alphas on the board would write it off as his fault instead of his murderers.

Ian wasn't exactly blaming himself for getting Mickey hurt but he felt incredibly guilty anyways. He had no idea that Tom would react like that. He guessed that it probably wouldn't have happened if he hadn't asked the board to conceal his identity after giving them reason to expel Tom. He had told the board that Mickey was _his_ omega so in the end, the attack only further proved the case he put up against Tom. There was no way the board would let him stay on if they wanted to maintain a clean image. But Mickey would have to be punished as well, because an omega hurting an alpha wasn't taken lightly.

In retrospect, he probably should have talked to Mickey about this. He should have told him what he was going to do—asked for his permission to tell the board that he was claimed. But he hadn't, and now what was done was done. It didn't matter. Tom wouldn't bother him anymore. Everything would be fine in the end.

Mickey was alone when Ian got back in the evening. The wounds on his face had been tended to and he looked pretty okay. He was sitting in front of his canvas, not painting. Just staring. Which kind of bothered Ian.

"Have you eaten?" Ian asked him.

Mickey nodded without looking at him. Would Mickey be mad at him if he found out that the condition he was in was Ian’s fault? Maybe. But Ian had to remind himself that he was angry too. Angry that Mickey would even put himself in a position to have been harassed in the first place. Angry that Mickey had come to the game with Tom when it was Ian that had invited him and when he should have known that Ian felt something for him.

"It was me," Ian started, "that convinced the board to expel Tom."

"I figured," Mickey replied. He turned to face Ian, who was sitting on his bed untying his shoelaces and taking off the brace he wore to keep his cast clean. "I'm sorry Ian. I wasn't thinking. I should never have—"

"It's fine. It's not like we were together or anything."

"But you're angry." Ian didn't reply. "So I know I hurt you. And I'm sorry."

Ian nodded.

"Do you forgive me?"

"Like I said Mickey. I don't have a right to be mad in the first place. You're not mine."

"And like _I_ said, I hurt you. Do you forgive me for that?"

"Sure, whatever."

" _Whatever?_ "

"I don't know, okay?" Ian snapped. "I don't know how I feel right now."

"Then why did you help me?"

"Because I said I would. When I first found out you were an omega I told you I'd take care of anyone who bothered you. That's why I helped you."

Mickey stayed quiet.

"But hey, you weren't lying when you said that you could take care of yourself."

"Lots of practice. I had an alpha father and alpha brothers. A beta sister that wasn't as much of a mediator as she should have been. I learned quickly what would happen if I didn't learn to defend myself."

Ian smiled a bit. "That's the first time you've ever talked about your family with me."

"Yeah well I don't like to brag about the picture perfect, apple pie life I had."

"Everyone has a fucked up family."

"Yeah but nothing like the Milkovich fucked up."

"Well, the Gallaghers aren't exactly white picket fence material either."

Mickey eyed him skeptically. "I met your brother. If the rest of your family cares about you like it seemed he does, then you're lucky."

Ian dropped his gaze. "I guess so."

"I'm pretty sure my father was happy when I ran away."

"What?"

"He was probably only upset that he didn't get to sell me off to the highest bidder."

"You ran away?"

"Well, yeah. How else would I have managed to get into college? My father wouldn't have let me leave."

Ian shot him a sympathetic look. “Well, for what it’s worth, I don’t think you deserve to be treated like a second class citizen. I don’t think any omega does.”

“It’s too bad words like that aren’t worth much in the bigger picture.”

“Things are changing. It’s our job to turn words into actions.”

“Don’t go all activist on me, okay? Let me be negative for once.” Mickey picked up his paint brushes and his palate and went to the bathroom to rinse them clean.

Ian sighed and got started on his own work.

\----

Mickey’s punishment wasn’t severe at all. He was told formally apologize to Tom, which happened when Tom returned from the hospital to collect his things. Ian was expected to be there because, as Mickey was surprised to find out, Ian had told the board that he'd claimed Mickey as his own. He wasn't angry, in fact he kind of liked the sound of it, the prospect of being Ian’s. But he knew that Ian had only said that to give the board a reason to expel Tom. It was all for show. It didn't seem to mean anything to Ian in any way, which upset Mickey.

He wanted to make it up to Ian. So that they could go back to that night that Ian had his lips against the hollow of Mickey’s throat. And it had to be before the semester ended because he would have to go to the omega dorm after that. If he waited too long, then he wouldn't see Ian as often anymore. They weren't in any of the same lectures and the only thing they had in common was the fact that they lived in the same room and went to OAA meetings once a month.

Ian continued with only minimum contact with Mickey, and that only made it so much more difficult for Mickey. Mickey wanted to be around Ian all the time and it hurt him to think that Ian didn't seem to want the same. But he had an idea, and he hoped it would be enough for Ian. It was so unlike most alphas, but Mickey had noticed how much Ian enjoyed sentiment and meaning.

Hopefully, listening to Ian talk nonstop (when Ian had still been talking to him) would pay off.

\----

Ian came back to an empty dorm room after a long, difficult day. He had been up all night the night before, barreling through Walt Whitman and listening to Mickey snore. But he was happy. He was an English major, but his main interest had always been in poetry, and now the poetry unit in his creative writing elective had just started which was exciting. He wanted to get started as soon as possible but he was exhausted.

 _A nap_ , he thought to himself. _A nap sounds amazing._

He kicked off his shoes and jumped into bed, cringing when he heard a crunch like sound. He reached underneath him and pulled out a piece of paper. It was covered with almost unintelligible words, lots of things furiously crossed out. It took him a while but he eventually figured out what it was saying.

_Talk to me,_

_Or tell me a joke,_

_Or a stupid story,_

_Just remind me of something from before._

_Notice me,_

_Even if it’s just to tell me how I'm at fault._

_Let me know,_

_Please,_

_That there is still something there,_

_In you,_

_That gives a shit,_

_About me,_

_If there ever was._

It was kind of horrible and kind of amazing at the same time, titled "My Poem for Ian". Ian couldn't even be sure of what he was reading was what was actually written because Mickeys handwriting made a kindergartners handwriting look legible. At least he assumed it was Mickey who wrote this. Ian wanted it to be Mickey. And he also hoped it wasn't. Because that made things a hell of a lot more complicated.

He was hit by a bout of inspiration. He shot out of bed and went to his desk and began writing.

\----

Ian was asleep when Mickey came back. At first he had no idea if Ian had found his poem, if it could even be called that. He went for the freestyle route because rhyming had proven to be too difficult. He had left it on Ian’s bed instead of somewhere else because... well, because it seemed like the most obvious place that Ian would find it.

The lamp over his canvas was turned on. That was strange. He always turned it off when he was done working. He was about to turn it off and turn in for the night when he realized there was something stuck to the bulb with some tape. A folded piece of paper. He tore it off and opened it up. The handwriting was neat and concise. It made Mickeys heart flutter. Until he read what was written.

_There was a cold shadow,_

_an icy darkness,_

_That came the morning after everything._

_You did not come with it._

_It seems,_

_you only sent it._

_It did not bring you to me._

_Nothing does._

_And in the sun of the late afternoon,_

_I wonder and wonder,_

_when it will leave._

_That cold cold shadow,_

_that bitter frosty darkness,_

_is one thing_

_I wish would leave me and my thoughts be_

_as you seemed to have._

_But then I realize,_

_it’s the one thing I have of you,_

_from you,_

_and I let that cold shadow envelope me,_

_encase me within it,_

_and hope it freezes these inhibitions away._

_I hold onto a yesterday_

_(and its mistakes)_

_that is nothing like today_

_(and its forgiveness),_

_and could never be tomorrow_

_(and its hope)_

_no matter how much I wish it would_

_(and i really do wish)_

_You are like so many things,_

_but not quite like any of them,_

_as well._

_I make no sense,_

_I know,_

_but that's your fault too._

_Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?_

_Or the pain in my back,_

_from bending over you,_

_and the strain in my eyes,_

_from watching over you._

_Mostly,_

_I think you are like water,_

_a part of me,_

_something I desperately need._

_Everywhere and nowhere and slipping through my clenching fingers_

_Yes,_

_water,_

_that is as close to you,_

_as I can get._

Mickey felt angry and confused at the words. Angry because he couldn't tell what Ian wanted to say. Confused for the same reason. He looked over at Ian as he shifted in bed. This wasn't the reaction he was hoping for. Didn't even know what the damn reaction meant.

He went over to Ian and shoved his shoulder to wake him up.

"Wha— Mickey, what the hell?"

Mickey knelt on the bed with one knee and hung the paper in front of Ian’s face. "Tell me what you mean."

Ian grabbed the paper and threw it to the side. "Seriously? Can't we talk about this in the morning?"

Mickey, against all better judgement, knelt forward and captured Ian’s lips in a searing kiss. Ian’s hands pushed on his chest, immediately breaking it off.

"Mickey, you're the one who said that this would never work."

"I don't care anymore."

Ian looked at him for a second, and then he shrugged, pulling Mickey back down to him. Their hands wandered under each other's shirts, cold fingers against sensitive skin, and Mickey had never been so satisfied.

His mind slipped into serenity as Ian’s hand pushed past the band of his sweatpants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to make Mickeys poem kinda bad


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Concerts and blow jobs and... food poisoning???

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait :(
> 
> Also I wrote most of this on my phone during a train ride and it kept autocorrecting 'Ian' to 'Jan' so I'm sorry if there are any random Jans still in there.

Mickey was dreading the future as he was packing at the end of the semester. He'd no longer be as close to Ian as he wanted to be.

Mary was helping him, since she was going to be his new roommate. Her old roommate had been mated to someone that didn't like the fact that omegas were being allowed to go to college and had been pulled out. She was neatly folding all the clothes that Mickey had haphazardly thrown around while lost in his thoughts. If she was worried about his mood, she didn't show it.

But Mickey’s mood was truly awful. Things had only just started getting good for him and Ian. They had only just started bonding—really, truly bonding. Mickey had only just started opening up to him. Mickey had only just—

"You'll still see him all the time, you know."

Mickey sighed, thankful for being brought out of his toxic thoughts. Even though it didn't make much of a difference, because he only started voicing them. "It won't be the same. It won't be as much."

"He'll make time for you." Mary approached Mickey, who was packing up his art supplies, and put a hand on his shoulder. He fought the urge to stubbornly shrug it off. "I thought you hated the alpha dorm."

"That was before. Now there's a reason to stay."

"That reason is still going to be around. Even if said reason isn't sharing your bed every night."

Mickey grimaced at her choice of words. Could she not use the words fucking or sex? She was so medieval. But still, she was growing on Mickey. He understood why Ian had chosen her as a subject for his biography project. She had a heartbreaking past and still managed to be positive and charismatic. Mickey couldn't even manage positive. Ian thought it was good that Mickey was going to be living with her.

"Maybe she'll rub off on you and you won't be so grumpy all the time," he had said. Then he had cocked his head slightly. "Actually, I think I like the grumpy. But it wouldn't hurt to stop being so negative."

Mickey couldn't help that. And maybe he liked being negative. Had Ian or Mary ever thought that? Maybe being negative felt safe for him. Because not expecting anything good out of life meant no disappointment. He'd told Ian that and earned a warm smile.

"You should expect to get what you work and sacrifice for,  and you had to work so hard and sacrifice so much to get even this far. And one day the world will pay you back. And your sacrifices won't be in vain." Ian had pulled Mickey into his arms by this point. "Just trust me when I say that things can only get better. Just because we won't be living together anymore doesn't change anything. I don't like you because you're convenient. I like you because you're you."

"Even though I acted like an idiot?"

Ian rolled his eyes. "Yeah, even then. In fact, especially because you act like an idiot."

Mickey was jolted out of the memory by a knock on the door. A couple of other omegas he knew filed through the door, grimacing. They were going to help move Mickey’s things.

"Alphas are such foul creatures. I could never even imagine the things we just heard."

"I know! You'd think that they'd know common decency after claiming to be superior to everyone else."

"Animals, all of them."

Mickey knew exactly what they were talking about. He got the same treatment unless he was walking with Ian, even if there were professors around. After Toms attack, he rarely stayed alone in the dorm room since he'd gotten so many threats from the alphas living around him. The only thing stopping them was the rumour going around that Mickey _belonged_ to Ian and hurting another alphas omega was practically a federal offence.

Mickey had frowned at the phrasing when he first heard the rumour—he didn't belong to anyone other than himself. But it provided a shield and he was okay with that. Even if it meant the only reason that no one was coming through with their threats was because they respected another alphas property, and not Mickey as a person himself.

His friends—if he could even call them that, since he had mostly talked to them only when he and Ian had been on the outs and during the OAA meetings—helped him take his belongings to his new dorm room, and even helped him unpack a bit. But he was tired and he hadn't seen Ian all day, which soured his mood, so he waved away their efforts to make him comfortable and told them he was just going to turn in for the night.

That is, until he got a text.

_You know... my new roommate doesn't move in till tomorrow morning._

He shot out of bed, ignoring Mary's protests about him loitering around the alpha dorm so late night, and rushed to get to Ian as fast as he could. Before he could even formulate his excited thoughts, he had knocked on his old room door and Ian was pulling him in by the collar into an overwhelming kiss. They stood flush against each other, their mouths colliding, languid sucking, tongues probing—slowly, deeply, their tastes mingling—until they were both lulled into the emotional security of each other’s presence.

It confused Mickey. Yeah, he was totally into Ian but it wasn't normal to feel so empty without someone and so complete with them if they weren't mates. And despite the rumours, Ian hadn't sealed the deal with a bite just yet. It was too early, and even though they both wanted to, they knew it was just natural instinct and decided to wait till they were sure that primal instinct wasn't the only thing at play when it came to their attraction to each other.

Lying in bed, later, in the early hours of the morning, their breaths fanning the others cheeks and their fingertips pressed lightly together, Mickey asked Ian if he felt the strange confusion too.

Ian laughed.

"You think it's strange to feel sad when we're not together?"

"I mean, immensely sad. Like not wanting to function sad."

"I'm flattered."

"Do you not feel it?"

"Of course I do. I'm only me when I'm with you."

Mickey didn't doubt that Ian missed him when he wasn't around, but he was sure that he didn't understand the feeling that Mickey had. Mickey felt as if there was a stone on his heart when Ian’s scent wasn't surrounding him. It was all he could even think about during class. He was sure Ian didn't get that feeling. It made their whole arrangement feel particularly one sided, even though Mickey didn't really question Ian’s feelings. It seemed as if Mickey liked Ian more than Ian liked Mickey. But that couldn't be it, right?

They weren't mates. He had only heard of this happening to omegas that started families with the alphas and the betas they were mated to. It didn't happen to people who just liked each other and had fucked a couple of times.

 _Maybe I do like him more than he likes me_ , Mickey thought grimly. But that didn't really put too much of a damper on his mood. He was surrounded by tons of things that smelled like Ian and he was in omega heaven.

\----

“We’re going to be late!”

“Hold your fucking horses, I’m coming.”

 _I don't even like Fall Out Boy_ , Mickey thought as he got dressed. But his omega friends were being escorted by Ian and another alpha from OAA and Mickey was up for any chance to hang out with Ian.

It had only been three weeks since he'd moved into the omega dorm and it was _hell_ for him. Two of those three he didn't even get to see Ian at all because of Christmas break and ever since classes had started up again he couldn't concentrate in any of his lectures, wasn't getting any of his assignments done and everyone around him was noticing. Everyone except Ian. Because Mickey felt fine when Ian was around. In fact, he felt better than fine. He felt great. On top of the fucking world. It was too bad that he always had to come crashing down.

That weird, helpless feeling he had wasn't leaving him and the fact that his mood was affected by his dependency on Ian bothered him. It was becoming so bad that he thought it might be physically affecting him. He was always exhausted and devoid of energy, but the second he was with Ian, it was as if someone had injected a shot of caffeine straight into his bloodstream, giving him an almost frantic kind of boost.

He didn't mention it to Ian after the first time. After his revelation of the possibility of their feelings for each other not being equal, he didn't want to seem clingy. Even though what he was doing right now was exactly that. Going to a concert just so he could spend time with Ian.

Whatever. He didn't care.

(but he did)

He joined Mary in the doorway. She was dressed in clothes that Mickey didn't even know she owned. Combat boots, ripped tights, a skater skirt with a tank top featuring one of the supporting bands and a Fall Out Boy denim vest, all a combination of blacks and dark greys. It was so different from her usual pastels, cashmere sweaters and almost Lolita style dresses that Mickey actually had to pause and search her face for the Mary he knew. He couldn't find her in the black eye shadow and purple lipstick.

"It's rude to stare Mickey."

"Who _are_ you?"

She playfully narrowed her eyes at him. "Funny. Just because I don't always show my punk side doesn't mean I don't have one."

"I'm sorry I think you have the wrong room. See me and roommate Mary live here. Do you know Mary?"

Mary rolled her eyes and grabbed Mickey by the arm and dragged him out of the dorm. Everyone else was already waiting for them, dressed in similar attire. Mickey didn't know a single band that was playing that night, but he'd borrowed an All Time Low tank from one of the other guys who was going. It looked like any generic punk band and Mickey didn't really care about it. The guy he'd borrowed it from had shown mock horror at his ignorance. When asked why he was even going if he didn't care for the music he replied with a 'mind your own fucking business' which was a clear indication that it had something to do with Ian so they dropped the topic.

The sun had long since gone down when they reached the venue and got into the line and it was below freezing. Mickey was wearing a jacket over the flimsy material of the shirt but it did nothing to stop the cold from seeping to his shaking bones.

"You alright?" Ian asked him.

"Yeah," he said quietly. Then he raised his voice so the security guard in front of the door just a few people ahead of them could hear clearly. "I’m just wondering if we're going to be let in any time before we die of fucking hypothermia."

"Not my fault they started sound check late," replied the guard.

Mickey was about to say something else but the chatter of his friends distracted him and he became absorbed into the stories being told of past concert experiences. Apparently Mary had been to a Crown the Empire concert in which David Escamilla had jumped into the crowd and his cute little white boy ass had landed straight in her face. The incident had caused her nose ring to get caught onto his jeans and then when the crowd moved him away it had ripped clean off her nose, which was why she had a scar right above her left nostril. Mickey cringed at the story. Then he tried to imagine Mary with a nose piercing. He couldn't do it.

Ian talked about the time his brother had snuck them into an eighteen plus venue when he was fourteen and they had somehow gotten backstage and met Green Day. Everyone in the group thought he was lying but he got out his phone and showed them a picture of him and Lip with Billie Joe Armstrong.

"Photoshop," the other alpha said.

"Suck my ass," Ian replied.

The line started moving forward and they all filed into the venue. There was a buzz of excitement in the air as people handed their tickets over and got their hands stamped. Their little group was guided to section specifically for omegas that were accompanied by alphas. The section was different from the omega only section just so that everyone had somewhere comfortable they could be.

Within twenty minutes, the opening act was on stage getting the entire place pumped. It was deafening but the excitement was rubbing off on Mickey. He wasn't excited for the music. He still couldn't care less, but the whole atmosphere of the venue, the stage, the mood, it was getting to him in a good way.

He knew Ian only wanted to see FOB. At the very least, that's what Ian said he was most excited for. So when no one else was paying attention, Mickey pulled Ian aside by the hand and led him towards the restroom sign. Ian stopped following when Mickey almost took him into the omega restroom and told him to wait while disappearing into the alpha/beta restroom. He appeared a second later with a glint in his eyes and pulled Mickey inside with him.

There was no lock on the inside of the door so they crammed into a stall together and immediately got to work on each other’s belts. They specifically decided not to go into the bigger stall that was made to be wheelchair accessible so they could be in close quarters.

Mickey sucked on Ian's neck as Ian palmed him through his jeans. Aside from soft gasps and low moans that echoed off the restroom tiles and the music being played on the other side of the walls, there were no sounds. Until Ian spoke.

"If someone comes in, we're going to have to be quiet. There are too many preteens here and this would definitely count as public indecency."

Mickey’s response was to get down onto his knees, ignoring the fact that the floor was probably beyond disgusting. He used his teeth to pull down the zipper of Ian’s jeans as Ian opened the button. Ian wasted no time in pulling both his jeans and his boxers down, letting his cock out in front of Mickeys face. Mickey grabbed it by the base, his other hand squeezing Ian's thigh, and sucked on the head.

He tightened his lips and heard a small thud as Ian's head fell back against the side of the stall. Mickey looked up at him and then took the cock deeper into his mouth, slowly so he could manage without choking. Ian hissed as Mickey began pulling back, lightly grazing his teeth against the sensitive skin. He started moving rhythmically earning Ian's hands slipping into his hair and tugging the short strands. Mickey used his hands to stroke what he couldn't reach comfortably on his own.

Ian used the grip on his hair to push Mickeys mouth further and further, even going so far as to buck his hips forward until he was practically fucking Mickeys mouth. Mickey gladly took Ian to the back of his throat, even playing up the choking sounds for the hell of it.

Suddenly they heard the restroom door open and from his position, Mickey could see two pairs of feet coming in, one heading to the urinals and one coming into the stall right next to them. Ian had his cock as far down Mickey’s throat as possible—Mickey's nose was pushed against the hair on Ian’s crotch and his chin against Ian's balls. He tried to relax his throat as much as he could but breathing through his nose was proving to be difficult. He was drooling profusely, his saliva probably dripping to Ian's thighs.

Still the whole situation was far too exciting to care about that. He looked up at Ian. Ian was already grinning down at him. He moved one hand out of Mickey’s hair and brought a finger to his lips, indicating to Mickey to remain quiet. Mickey took the hand that was no longer stroking Ian's cock and held it up to flip him off. Ian grinned even wider. He reached down and stroked Mickey’s cheek, which was slightly wet due to stray tears from the choking sensations. Mickey brought his own hand down and grabbed Ian's balls, also wet, but with saliva instead of tears. Ian bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut.

Without warning, he began fucking Mickeys mouth again. Only slightly, and the wet sounds of the act were barely noticeable over the muffled sounds of the music. The two people in the restroom finished up and left—the one at the urinal first, and the one in the stall afterwards. The door opened once letting the music in louder, closed and things quieted down again. After the second person finished washing their hands, a particularly hard thrust caused Mickey to involuntarily let out a guttural sound and he saw the second person's feet stop right at the door. They both froze, not even daring to breathe. Ian still had a hand on Mickey’s cheek and he continued stroking it slightly. The person didn't pause for long, seemingly not caring about what was going on, probably more interested in the band playing.

The second the door shut again, Ian pulled Mickey off his cock. A string of drool followed Mickey’s mouth as he took in a deep breath and coughed loudly. Ian barely gave him a chance to breathe before pulling him up and cutting off his oxygen supply again with a sloppy kiss, getting saliva and his own precum all around his mouth. He pulled away and wiped it off, as did Mickey.

"Turn around."

Mickey smirked and did as he was told, undoing his jeans in the process. He shoved them down as well as his underwear and pushed his bare ass into Ian's crotch. After taking a minute or so to find a condom in one of his pockets and slipping it on, Ian grabbed Mickeys hips and pulled him into a better position, so his back was facing the door and when he pushed Mickey down, Mickey could grab into the metal pipes at the back of the toilet for support. Mickey was _so_ ready, he could feel the slick between his ass cheeks as he bent over and exposed his heated hole to the air.

Ian pushed his hand up the back of Mickey’s shirt till he could grab onto Mickeys shoulder as he grinded against Mickey for a second.

"Don't hold back, Gallagher."

"You know I won't," Ian replied, pushing past the resistance of the hole and deep into Mickey on the first thrust. Ian used his free hand to smack one of Mickey’s cheeks and then squeeze it between his fingers for better grip as he pulled back and then began forming a rhythm, thrusting at a fairly easy speed. Mickey let out a soft moan with each thrust and Ian drank it all in.

He used his grip on Mickeys shoulder to pull the omegas body back to meet the rhythm and every few beats Mickey would roll his hips, creating more friction, causing Ian to dig his nails into Mickeys skin. Ian took his hand off Mickeys shoulder when his rhythm became faster and harder and brought it down to Mickeys nipple, pinching it. Mickey shuddered and Ian rolled the hardening bud between his fingers for a few seconds before moving down to stroke Mickey's cock.

They were both sweating, no doubt smelling strongly of each other by this point. Ian's thrusts were propelling Mickey to oblivion. He felt a familiar tightening in his lower abdomen. A fire being lit, warming up his insides as Ian's fingers worked him expertly. And that fire was getting hotter, and hotter, and hotter—

Wait. No. Wrong fire. He needed Ian to stop. The motions rocking him back and forth were only making it worse. "Ian I-I need..."

He could barely speak. He was breathing hard and not in the good way that he had been seconds ago. Panic built up within him.

"What do you need?" Ian asked, leaning over and kissing the sweaty nape of Mickey’s neck and increasing his pace. He took Mickeys weak words as a sign that he was about to cum. Which was far from the actual case. Mickey removed his hands from the pipes and tried to push himself up and get Ian off of him. _Out_ of him.

"Ian... I need you to stop...please stop..." And Ian did stop. Out of confusion. Mickey sounded like he was choking, and from experience Ian knew that wasn't the way Mickey sounded when he was about to cum. He pulled out and gave Mickey some space.

Mickey, who was already bent over the toilet bowl, spilled the contents of his stomach into it, and then sank to his knees.

"Fuck!" Ian cried out and reached for Mickey, but Mickey was only violently vomiting again. Ian still tried to rub his back but Mickey jerked away, not wanting to be touched. Once he was sure that nothing more could possibly force its way up his raw throat, he pulled away from the bowl and finally accepted the comfort Ian's arms offered. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and Ian reached over him to flush the toilet.

He noticed that Ian had pulled his underwear and jeans back up and even buckled his belt while his own ass remained bare and was slick against the dirty floor.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Are you okay?"

"I don't know."

"It's probably a stomach bug," Ian said. "Come on, let's get you out of here."

He helped Mickey get up and get his clothes back on properly and all straightened out. Mickey washed his hands and rinsed his mouth to get the foul taste out. Ian told him to splash some water on his face to cool down a bit and he did it three times for good measure and then rinsed his mouth a second time, all the while with Ian's hand resting lightly on his back, easing his anxiety. As they were leaving, Ian shot the other alpha they came with a text telling him that Mickey was sick and they were going back.

"What about Fall Out Boy? You said Patrick Stump was a god."

"He is. And it doesn't matter."

"Ian... stay. I'll take a cab."

"Don't be ridiculous."

Mickey didn't argue further, because truth be told he wanted Ian to come with him.

Back in the alpha dorm, Mickey was lying in Ian's bed quietly. His replacement roommate was fast asleep in Mickey’s old bed. It felt uncomfortable to have another alphas scent so strongly surrounding Ian's, but he was dealing with it. Ian came back into the room.

"Hey," he whispered. "I heated up some soup for you. Think you can keep it down?"

"Maybe."

Ian worked at his desk as Mickey quietly sipped on the soup. Mickey didn't know where the nausea came from. It hadn't been lingering there before and it wasn't here now so he had no clue why it just appeared and then disappeared. He thought that maybe the tight space of the stall had just become too much for him, but that didn't make any sense since claustrophobia had never been a problem for him before. He didn’t think he’d eaten anything out of the ordinary that could have gotten him sick either.

When he was done with his soup he slowly got up and then pulled Ian off his desk and dragged him into bed, closing the one lamp that was giving the room dim illumination. They kind of wanted to finish what they started, but apparently Ian's new roommate had a big mouth and would probably tell the RA that Ian had a visitor after hours.

So they just curled into each other—arms and legs intertwined, heartbeats matching in pace. Ian asked Mickey how he was feeling but he didn't get a reply. He understood why when Mickey started snoring softly a few seconds later. He held in his chuckles as he closed his own eyes and let the fatigue lull him to sleep as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah so... David Escamilla's jeans did rip out my friends nose ring while we were at a concert and it was super bloody.
> 
> Thoughts? What do you think is in store for the future? Any idea what I might throw in next?


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing good comes out of the rally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to apologize for the extremely long wait. The teachers at my school are going on strike in a few weeks so they're pushing all the work back and I've been swamped.
> 
> But I finally got this through :D

In the morning, Mickey woke up with a splitting headache. It was kind of expected after he had expelled so much of his body's water the night before. During the day, his headache only became worse and he developed a horrible cramps. He couldn't even tell if his body was telling him that he was hungry or if his body was warning him not to eat.

He didn't mention the ailments to anyone. If he was sick, it would pass soon enough anyways. At least he hadn't vomited again. That had to be a good sign, right?

Ian texted him throughout the day to see if he was okay and had even tried to convince him not to go to class with the argument that it would be totally embarrassing if he puked in class. He said that he'd stay back from class too and take care of him if he wanted. Mickey didn't listen. All of a sudden he felt like Ian was being the clingy, nagging one. He felt almost suffocated and even went as far as to form the thought that he needed his space. He didn't voice that thought.

He ignored most of Ian's texts, only replying to one every couple of hours, saying he was fine. It wasn't even like this was different from Ian's behaviour before. Ian wasn't texting him any more than usual. But Mickey wasn't feeling drawn towards him so much anymore. Nor did this change of attitude seem to concern him.

He went to bed fairly early. The ache was getting a bit too much and hoped for it to be better in the morning.

A horrible feeling woke Mickey up, drenched in sweat and panting loudly. He had the strangest feeling that his bed and pajamas were soaked in something other than sweat, like he'd pissed himself. But it wasn't towards the front and it was too sticky. He tried raising his head but he felt too dizzy so he just slowly reached a hand down and slipped it past his pajamas and in between his cheeks. At first he thought that he was just horny or something but there was a sharp pain in his lower abdomen that had him gritting his teeth until it passed. It was the same pain that had woken him up. He turned on his lamp and pulled his hand up again only to find it covered in blood.

 _Fuck_ , he thought. _Fuck fuck fuck._

_I'm dying._

He looked over at a sleeping Mary and then bit his pillow so he wouldn't wake her up as another wave of pain rolled over him. When it subsided, he forced himself up and out of bed, ignoring the dizziness. After gulping down two extra strength Tylenols, he got changed out of his blood stained clothes. His bed looked like a crime scene so he covered it up with the clean side of his duvet so that no one would see the blood. He called a cab as he crossed the campus and it was already there when he reached the road. As it took him to the hospital, he hoped he wouldn't bleed through his jeans. The pain was still coming in strongly, but less frequently, so he was grateful for that.

The beta nurse in the emergency room took one look at his state—the dark rings around his eyes, the perspiration, his flushed cheeks, and the fact that he was an omega—and pulled him aside for a checkup before he could even say what was wrong.

She had him change into a hospital gown—which he did pretty hesitantly, since she didn't give him too much privacy—while he told her what happened. She checked his temperature and blood pressure and asked when the bleeding started.

He frowned at her. “I… uh...”

"It would be helpful if you gave us as much information as you can, Mr. Milkovich."

"I don't know when it started. I woke up with cramps and I was already bleeding."

"And if you don't mind me asking, where is your mate?"

Mickey continued to frown. "I don't have a mate. I don't see how that's even relevant."

The nurse gave him strange look before saying she'd fetch the doctor. She had Mickey sit on an examination table that was tilted like a chair with its stirrups out for his legs before she left. The doctor, also a beta, barely looked at Mickey when he came in. Instead he kept his nose in the file he was holding and asked Mickey how he was feeling.

"Wouldn't be here if things were good, would I?"

The doctor raised his head at that, but only for a second before he sat down on a stool in front of the chair and without warning raised Mickey’s hospital gown for inspection. Mickey tensed at the invasion of privacy but let the doctor poke and prod whatever he needed to without flinching too much. The cramps weren't exactly gone, but they were less painful now. His fingers tightened around the armrest as the doctor came back into sight with a grim expression.

"Mr. Milkovich, were you aware that you were breeding?"

Mickey shook his head, not trusting his vocal chords in that moment.

"Most miscarriages do happen soon after conceiving and up to twelve weeks later. Some of the earlier ones happen without notice because development just isn't far along enough for the body to go into panic mode. But your case is a little different."

"Wait," Mickey said. "How was I pregnant? I'm on suppressants and Ia— the alpha I'm with always uses a condom."

The doctor sighed.

"Contraceptives, though helpful in avoiding unplanned pregnancies, are not completely reliable. They only work ninety nine percent of the time I'm afraid." The doctor didn't wait for Mickey to catch on. "This alpha is not your mate, correct? An omegas body requires that connection to be able to go through with the pregnancy. It is very important for the omega and the child's health that the parents are mates and the alpha or beta is close to the omega in terms of distance to insure health and developmental safety."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that the reason for your violent miscarriage, despite not being very far along, is that you and your partner did not mate. Now it’s not necessary anymore as you are no longer breeding, but if you do attempt again, it would be in your best interest to mate first."

"I don't really plan on it."

"Well, your body is strong. If you do eventually decide to have children, after you've mated of course, I think you'd fare well."

Mickey thanked the doctor but declined when he was asked to consider staying for further observation, just in case. He couldn't afford the hospital bill anyways.

He got a text from Ian on the cab ride back to campus.

_Goof morning :D_

_Good*_

He almost smiled. But his thoughts were clouded by the information he'd just been given.

_Mornin_

_I’m getting my cast taken off today. Wanna come to the hospital with me?_

Did Mickey want to go back to the hospital? No. Of course he didn't. Did he want to spend time with Ian? Yes. Was he going to? His headache decided to say no.

_Nah I'm really tired. I think I'm just gonna stay in today_

_Still sick?_

_No just tired_

He realized that might lead to an interrogation about lying about his health.

_I pulled an all-nighter last night_

He could almost see Ian frowning at that.

_An all-nighter before the weekend?_

_I wanted to get shit done leave me alone_

_Haha okay well get some rest_

Mickey hurried back to his dorm, practically jogging despite how faint he felt. Mary was still asleep, thankfully. No one knew he'd been off campus. No one knew what had happened at all.

No one had to.

He changed his sheets as quietly as he could and shoved the old ones under the bed. He'd deal with those later. He pulled his duvet, which was only slightly crusted with dried up blood, up to his chin and stared at the ceiling, trying not to think until he managed to fall asleep.

\----

A month or so later, the OAA got permission to participate in a peaceful equal rights rally. One of the biggest reasons that the college had let them partake—and on the colleges dollar too—was because the OAA was the biggest inspiration for the rally. They also wanted to seem super progressive.

The activist group had picked up such a big following on social media ever since its formation at the beginning of the year, that it prompted thousands of omegas to join up with alpha and beta allies so they could make a difference for omegas everywhere.

"Isn't it exciting?!" Mary was practically jumping off the walls (despite there not being any walls since they were outdoors).

"Totally," Ian said, mostly just reassuring her.

Mickey wasn't as excited as everyone else. "I don't get the point. Nothing is gonna come out of it."

"Our voices will be heard Mickey. Stop sulking." Mary smacked his arm as they walked side by side.

"Heard and ignored. Like always."

"It will give the OAA more recognition. Do you know how many other OAAs have sprouted up ever since we made our website? Maybe there will be even more."

"It's a _peaceful_ rally. If we want attention we should fuck shit up. Break something, burn something, take a hostage. If that won't get attention, nothing will."

"We would just get in trouble."

"And?"

Ian stayed quiet. He didn't really think he had the right to say anything on the topic.

Mickey didn't even want to come. But he had other things always attempting to infiltrate his mind. Things he'd bottled up and never spoke of to anyone, _especially_ not the person he wished he could speak to most about them. He didn't even give himself the time to properly process everything. He kept telling himself it wasn't a big deal.

The doctor did say that most miscarriages happen early on. He allowed himself ten minutes of research and found out that some people won't even realize that they were pregnant and had a miscarriage. So what did it matter? He wasn't upset. He'd never planned on having kids anyways so _not_ having one didn't really affect him. Right?

Of course not.

But he knew the people around him would disagree with what he believed (whether he actually believed it or not).

"Ian, you agree with me don't you?"

Ian, who had been walking with his eyes trained to the ground, looked up abruptly with an expression that said he clearly didn’t want to partake in the conversation.

It was Mary who had addressed him.

"Can I maybe be left out of this?"

Mickey raised a brow at him. "You're part of this group too. Don't you have an opinion?"

"It's not really my place is it?" Ian looked down again. He'd been... not as chipper lately. Not that he was all that annoyingly optimistic about life before. At least not at the Mary level.

Mickey had boiled Ian's mood down to the fact that he wasn't allowed back onto any of the sports teams that he'd worked so hard to get on until the next year. Even though his cast had come off, his ankle wasn't fit for any kind of training, he could only do light physio. Even long walks caused him to end up with a limp at times so running around and getting tackled in various ways was out of the question.

Mickey couldn't help but feel extremely guilty. It was his fault that Ian had gotten hurt in the first place. It was also another reason that Mickey used as an excuse not to tell Ian about the miscarriage. He knew Ian would be upset, and that would only fuel more guilt. Though he didn't want to hurt Ian, the reasoning itself was a bit selfish too. But he pushed that thought out of his mind and stowed it away like everything else that seemed to bother him.

"You've made a difference in this group just as much as others," Mary told him.

"Okay, I think the rally is a good idea," he started, making Mickey frown. "But I don't think that it'll do anything. Activism only works with aggression whether it’s passive aggression or active aggression and this rally is only something for awareness."

"But Ian—"

"I don't think people need to be made aware of something like this. If someone doesn't think that there is something to be aware of then we know that they are a part of the problem and people who know about the problem but don't do anything about it are a part of the problem too and those problems need to be targeted specifically. I mean—"

"I asked for your opinion not a lecture," Mary said scowling. She turned away from the two spoilsports dramatically and walked ahead of them.

"Never thought I'd see the day where something you said pissed her off more than something I said," Mickey commented, grinning.

Ian returned the smile, but Mickey could see it was a bit half-heartedly.

"What's with you?"

Ian shook his head in answer.

It seemed to be the end of their conversation. A lot of their conversations had been like this lately—short, lacking intimacy. It was strange. Mickey was used to Ian talking, and he was used to talking to Ian. At the same time, he barely noticed the change in their interaction because both of them had midterm projects due and barely saw each other. And when they did see each other, they mostly just fucked.

The week before, Ian had called Mickey to meet him in the library before it closed so they could finally have some time together that didn't involve sex but ended up fucking behind the philosophy section anyways and almost got themselves locked in overnight.

They both undoubtedly noticed the tension—the distance—but neither approached the topic. Mickey didn't doubt his feelings, not really, but he didn't really know if the guilt of not being able to tell Ian what happened was worth it. He knew he wouldn't be able to, because the uncertainty of what Ian would think about him afterwards was almost crippling.

It made him even sadder to think that he didn't know how Ian would react. He couldn't even remotely predict how that conversation would go. So he just avoided it completely. Truth be told, he wanted to mate. He wanted Ian to claim him, even if it would just make him feel wanted and nothing more.

A feeling of dread came over him, and he didn't know why. He felt as if he was being watched. Or followed. It was sinister. Mickey sneaked a look at Ian only to find him looking completely unaffected. Where was this feeling coming from?

"How did midterms go?" Ian asked him. Mickey was almost flustered for a second. He was surprised that they were having an actual conversation.

"Fine, I guess. I think I made too many teenage mutant ninja turtle references in my art history presentation, but otherwise good. What about you?"

Okay, now Mickey could swear he was being watched. He whipped his head around at the large groups of omegas milling around. He could clearly differentiate the few alphas and betas between them. He had never seen so many omegas all in one place before. He'd felt so safe when he'd moved to the omega dorm since he'd almost never had omegas around when he was growing up. The only place he felt safer was with Ian. And right now he had both—thousands of omegas and Ian—all in one place.

And he didn't feel safe at all.

"—maybe get it published. Do you think I should go for it?"

Mickey turned back to face Ian. "What?"

"Do you think I should get it published?"

Mickey frowned. "Get what published?"

Ian grinned and dropped an arm on Mickeys shoulder to pull him close as they walked. Mickey wanted to lean into him, but he felt too anxious to let his guard down and try to get comfortable. He had the urge to stay completely alert, and omega intuition was rarely wrong.

"You seem distracted. We'll talk about it later."

"I doubt it," Mickey said, still only half listening.

"What do you mean?"

"Well we don't really _talk_ much anymore, do we? We kinda just screw."

"Are you kidding me, Mickey? Remember that time in the library? You wouldn't shut up about Mary always making you clean up after yourself. Why do you think we almost got locked in? It was because you took so long to cum because you kept talking."

Mickey shoved Ian's arm off of him. "That's not fucking true."

Ian laughed. "And there was two weeks ago behind the football field where you kept complaining about needing new watercolours and then we had to go buy some before we could finish what we started. And even then you could only talk about how excited you were to use them. More excited than having sex with me that's for sure."

"See, now I know you're conspiring against me." Okay so maybe he was being a little dramatic when he said they weren't really talking. But he was doing most of the talking and it was while they were doing something else so it didn't really count. Not in his opinion anyways.

"We do talk. Maybe not in the most normal situations because of time restraints but we _do_ talk."

"Whatever, it’s not the same."

"It’s better than nothing, Mick. I know it hasn’t been much but midterms are over now. Everything should go back to normal."

"Yeah and before we know it, finals are here and it’s worse than before." Mickey accepted Ian's arm around his shoulder again, mostly because that feeling of being watched was just getting worse.

"That isn't under our control. But there's something I've wanted to ask you for a while actually."

Mickey looked up at him expectantly.

"Come stay with me in the summer. I know you're not going home and I want you as close as possible."

"Summer, huh? Isn't that kind of far to make a decision now?"

"Don't stall, yes or no?"

"Well, you didn't really phrase it like a yes or no question."

"Okay... Mickey, would you like to spend every single second of the summer with me?"

"Maybe."

"Mickey just answer the question!"

Of course the answer was yes, Mickey was only teasing Ian but he didn't get a chance to say it because someone with a megaphone started saying something practically indecipherable and the crowd got all riled up.

There was an immense assortment of media outlets covering the rally and the venue, a large park from where people would eventually spill out into nearby streets, was teeming with security guards. Maybe that's why he felt that his every move was being documented. In a way, it was.

While Mary and most of the other OAA members openly socialized with everyone who approached them, Mickey stayed by Ian's side. No one in the group really minded. They all knew he wasn't exactly the most social person and it was a miracle he even talked to them. They were just grateful that he had actually showed up. (But of course they also knew by now that it was probably only because of Ian or Mary dragged his ass over, either way they were grateful). There were lots of speeches, chants and cameras shoved into their faces but the whole aura of the rally was pretty adrenaline inducing and Mickey was actually having fun. The thought that maybe they could actually make a difference in the lives of omegas all over the world even if it was just by starting a movement and speaking their minds came to him and it was weird how optimistic he was feeling.

Until, he saw a familiar face in a crowd of thousands. How he had even managed to spot her was crazy, but his eyes, lazily glazing over the people, found hers automatically, and his heart dropped to his stomach. A lump formed in his throat, constricting his breathing and the lack of oxygen made his head swim.

"Hey, what's wrong? Why are you panting like that?"

"Nothing." Mickey stepped away from Ian. "I’m gonna go find water. Do you want water?"

He didn't wait for Ian's reply. Ian watched him disappear into the throng of people, and wondered why Mickey had to go in search for water when he had been carrying a bottle of it this whole time.

\----

"What are you doing here?"

"It's great to see you too."

"How'd you find me?"

"Does it matter?"

"Does _he_ know?"

Mandy sighed and avoided his eyes. "I saw this rally thing online and your name was on the website. Iggy and Colin saw and they both _tattled_ on you."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Mickey hid his face in his hands.

"You had quite the boy toy wrapped around you though. Think he'd go for me now that you're fucked beyond belief?" Mandy raised herself on her toes to spot the head of red hair she'd seen earlier. Mickey gave her an incredulous look.

"Is this really the time to joke?"

"Get out of here Mick. He knows you're here and you need to leave before he finds you."

"When did you get so helpful?" Mickey didn't know if this was a joke. Mandy had never helped him before. Being a beta, what happened to him didn't really affect her.

"This is the first time in a long time that I've seen your face without a black eye or a busted lip. I have to say, it’s kinda nice. And you looked happy in the picture on the website. You know the group one with everyone in the OA-whatever the fuck it’s called. And you looked happy just now."

"You really think he'll try to drag me back?"

Mandy ignored him. "He looks familiar. I think he went to my high school. Don't know why, but I feel like I slept with his brother."

"Mandy answer me."

"He a Gallagher? Cause then I definitely slept with his brother."

"Mandy!"

"Yes Mickey! He's going to find you and you'll never fucking see daylight again. Get the fuck out of here!"

Mickey shot one last look towards Ian before he thanked Mandy under his breath and took off, trying to keep a look out for his brothers and his father among the people around him.

\----

Mickey never came back, and everyone was worried. Security had been notified but no one could find him. Ian thought he saw Mickey talking to a familiar looking girl and gave security a description of her as well but even she had disappeared. An omega going missing at a rally for omega rights wasn't a good thing. They waited for a week but he never showed up at college and they had to pack all of his stuff up. Ian kept most of it. Mary kept some of it. Even if it was just for the memories, they chose not to throw anything away. Especially not his artwork.

Of course the media didn't make a big deal of it. They didn't care. Not even the college cared and enough missing persons reports had been filed at the local police station but never looked into. Omegas went missing all the time. There weren’t very many of them in the world and every alpha wanted one, so it wasn’t out of the ordinary.

No one had any clue what happened, but the most logical explanation was that he'd run away. It was plausible since he'd done it before, having run away from home, but at the same time it wasn't, because what reason did he have for doing it now. Why would he want to leave behind his friends and his education?

Why would he want to leave behind Ian?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I know I put this up as the last chapter but IT'S NOT THE END THOUGH I PROMISE.
> 
> The only thing is that the direction I want to take the story in no longer takes place in college so it doesn't meet the specifics of the series it's in right now so I'm going to put this part and the next part in a new series.
> 
> And I can't promise how fast that will be updated but it definitely will be happening and it will hopefully be a lot longer than this one.


End file.
